Diana Ross
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Named by the Billboard magazine as The Female Entertainer of The Century, Diana Ross who was also pronounced by The Guinness Book Of World Records as the most successful female artist ever, partly because of her combined total of eighteen number one singles, six of them recorded solo and the remaining dozen from her work with The Supremes. Only The Beatles and Elvis Presley have equaled or bettered this accomplishment. One of her hit album released which sold million copies was Diana.
Contents |
About
Diana Ross was born on March 26, 1944 at Detroit, Michigan. She was the second of six children of Fred Ross and Ernestine Ross. Her family was an active member of the Baptist church choir. Diana learned secular music from her cousin. When Diana was 14 years old, they moved to Brewster Douglas. While staying there, Diana took up tap dance lessons and majorettes at Brewster Center. She auditioned to be a part of a school musical school but she was not accepted.
Singing in the choir at the local Olivet Baptist church led to her meeting Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard. The threesome later sang together at social functions. They joined up with Betty Anderson in 1959 to become The Primettes, a female counterpart of The Primes formed by Eddie Kendricks, which would later become The Temptations in 1959. Motown superstar, Smokey Robinson introduced Diana and The Primettes at Motown Studios where they met Motown producer Berry Gordy. Berry told them to finished their high school first and come back after graduation. After they graduated in 1962, The Primettes' came back and signed a recording contract with Motown. Berry changed their name to The Supremes, a name which Diana does not like.
Although all the girls originally took turns singing lead, Motown chief Berry Gordy made Diane the permanent lead singer in 1964, because he felt her soprano voice had the pop appeal The Supremes needed to cross over to white audiences. Diana also began using the name Diana at this time. Between the summer of 1964 until the summer of 1967, The Supremes released ten hit singles making number 1 and became the most successful black group of the decade.
In July 1967, Florence was fired from The Supremes and was replaced by Cindy Birdsong. At this time, the group was officially renamed Diana Ross & the Supremes officially recognizing Diana as the focal point of the group. During this period, the group had two more number 1 hits as Motown began plans for Diana to have a solo career, which was announced in November 1969. In January 1970, Diana was officially remove from The Supremes after a January 14 Farewell concert at the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas. The group moved on with new lead singer Jean Terrell, while Diana starting recording her solo album.
Diana released her debut solo album in 1970. The album was a big success with her single, "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)" reaching number 20 at US charts. The album's second single, a cover of Marvin and Tami's 1967 hit "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", was an international hit, and gave Diana her first number-one pop single as a solo artist. The song chartered at number 1 on both the U.S. pop and R&B charts, and Dina received a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
Diana released her second album, Everything is Everything in 1972 which chartered at number 20 at US charts. Few months later, she released her follow-up album, Surrender which garnered Diana's first UK number one single, "I'm Still Waiting". Diana tried also into acting, she was the lead role in a film biography of Billie Holiday, Lady Sings the Blues in November 1972. Diana was nominated for an Academy Award and won Best Newcomer at the 1973 Golden Globe. Diana also covered a number of Billie's songs for the film, including "Strange Fruit", "God Bless the Child", and "Good Morning Heartache", which was released as a single on the double-album Lady Sings the Blues soundtrack at the end of 1972. That album reached number 1 spot on the album charts. It would be Diana's only solo album to reach that position.
Diana returned to record making with the Top 10 album Touch Me in the Morning in June 1973. She scored her first number 1 pop hit in three years and received a second Grammy nomination. Diana came back acting in her second movie, Mahogany in October 1975. The film's theme song and lead soundtrack single, Theme From Mahogany "Do You Know Where You're Going To", hit number 1 on the US pop charts and was nominated for an Oscar. During the Oscars telecast, Diana became the first artist to perform for the Oscars ceremony via satellite; she sung Theme From Mahogany from a concert she was headlining in Holland.
In 1976, Diana released her first number one R&B hit single, "Love Hangover". It is included in the second self-titled album of Diana. The album also became a Top 10 Pop and R&B album chart. Diana broke concert records in a one-woman concert on Broadway in 1977. She has also a television special in March 1977 that featured her alone and a portrayal as Dorothy in Motown's film production of the Broadway show The Wiz in 1978. Diana won a special Tony award for this Broadway show.
Diana returned to her music career in 1979, she released her album, The Boss which became Diana's first gold album, followed by the platinum-selling Diana in 1980. Diana became her biggest-selling record in her career reaching number two on the Billboard Pop Albums chart. The album included two of Diana's most successful and familiar solo hits, her fifth number-one single, "Upside Down", and the Top 5 single "I'm Coming Out".
Diana scored a third Top 10 hit in 1980 singing the title theme from the movie "It's My Turn". She then scored the biggest hit of her career with another movie theme, singing with Lionel Richie on "Endless Love". It was her final big hit on Motown Records. After that, she signed a recording contract under RCA Records.
Diana released her first album, Why Do Fools Fall in Love under RCA Records in the summer of 1981. It was a million-selling album. The album yielded Top 10 hits that includes the title track "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" and "Mirror Mirror". Her follow-up album Silk Electric under RCA was a gold seller. It features the Top 10 hit single, Muscle, which was written and produced by Michael Jackson. In 1984, Swept Away was released and it was another successful album of Diana, containing the hit single, "Missing You". While Diana continued to be an international superstar in the 80's, she started to struggle on the United States Billboard charts.
She returned to Motown in 1989 via the album, Workin Overtime. Her Motown releases since 1989 have not been as successful in America as they have in Europe. For example, while 1991's Force Behind the Power and the Top 40 hit When You Tell Me You Love Me were moderate successes in America, the album and the song became bigger hits overseas. 1995's Take Me Higher and 1999's Everyday Is a New Day are a mild hit. In 1999, Diana Ross was named the most successful female singer in the history of the United Kingdom charts.
During the 90's, Diana returned to acting. She received critical acclaim for her role as a schizophrenic in the ABC television movie Out of Darkness in 1994. Diana returned to US charts with the song, "I Got A Crush On You" in 2005, a duet with Rod Stewart. In 2006, Motown released a shelved album of Diana entitled, Blue. It reached at number two on the jazz album charts. Recently, Diana released a new studio album, I Love You which is more on classic rock and soul standards under Anjel Records.
Awards & Certifications
Chart Toppers (Singles)
| Year | Title | US Hot 100 | US R&B Charts | UK Charts | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand) | 20 | 7 | 33 | Motown |
| 1970 | Ain't No Mountain High Enough | 1 | 1 | 6 | Motown |
| 1970 | Remember Me | 16 | 10 | 7 | Motown |
| 1971 | I'm Still Waiting | 63 | 40 | 1 | Motown |
| 1971 | Surrender | 38 | 16 | 10 | Motown |
| 1972 | Good Morning Heartache | 34 | 20 | - | Motown |
| 1973 | Touch Me in The Morning | 1 | 5 | 9 | Motown |
| 1974 | All of My Life | - | - | 9 | Motown |
| 1975 | Theme From Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To) | 1 | 14 | 5 | Motown |
| 1976 | Love Hangover | 1 | 1 | 10 | Motown |
| 1976 | One Love in My Lifetime | 25 | 10 | - | Motown |
| 1977 | Gettin Ready For Love | 27 | 16 | 23 | Motown |
| 1978 | Your Love is So Good For Me | 49 | 16 | - | Motown |
| 1976 | You Got It | 49 | 39 | - | Motown |
| 1979 | The Boss | 19 | 12 | 40 | Motown |
| 1979 | It's My House | - | 27 | 32 | Motown |
| 1980 | Upside Down | 1 | 1 | 2 | Motown |
| 1980 | I'm Coming Out | 5 | 6 | 13 | Motown |
| 1980 | My Old Piano | - | - | 5 | Motown |
| 1980 | It's My Turn | 9 | 14 | 16 | Motown |
| 1981 | Endless Love (with Lionel Richie) | 1 | 1 | 7 | Motown |
| 1981 | Why Do Fools Fall in Love | 7 | 6 | 4 | RCA |
| 1982 | Mirror, Mirror | 8 | 2 | 36 | RCA |
| 1982 | Work That Body | 44 | 34 | 7 | RCA |
| 1982 | Muscles | 10 | 4 | 15 | RCA |
| 1983 | So Close | 40 | 76 | 43 | RCA |
| 1983 | Pieces of Ice | 31 | 15 | 46 | RCA |
| 1984 | All of You (with Julio Iglesias) | 19 | 10 | 43 | RCA |
| 1984 | Swept Away | 19 | 3 | - | RCA |
| 1984 | Touch By Touch | - | - | 47 | RCA |
| 1984 | Missing You | 10 | 1 | 76 | RCA |
| 1985 | Telephone | - | 13 | - | RCA |
| 1985 | Chain Reaction | 66 | 85 | 1 | RCA |
| 1985 | Experience | - | - | 47 | RCA |
| 1987 | Dirty Looks | - | 12 | 49 | RCA |
| 1988 | If We Hold on Together | - | - | 11 | Motown |
| 1989 | Workin Overtime | - | 3 | 32 | Motown |
| 1991 | When You Tell Me You Love Me | - | 37 | 2 | Motown |
| 1991 | The Force Behind The Power | - | - | 27 | Motown |
| 1992 | One Shining Moment | - | - | 10 | Motown |
| 1993 | Your Love | - | - | 14 | Motown |
| 1999 | Not Over You Yet | - | - | 9 | Motown |
Chart Toppers (Albums)
| Year | Album | US Charts | UK Charts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | I'm Still Waiting | - | 10 |
| 1972 | Lady Sings The Blues | 1 | - |
| 1973 | Touch Me in The Morning | 5 | 7 |
| 1976 | Diana Ross | 5 | 4 |
| 1980 | Diana | 2 | - |
| 1995 | Take Me Higher | - | 10 |
News
Tours & Concerts
2008 Tours
March 11, 2008 Sinatra Theatre-Bank Atlantic Center, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States
May 18, 2008 Centennial Concert Hall, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
May 20, 2008 Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
May 21, 2008 Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
May 23, 2008 River Rock Casino, Richmond, British Columbia, Canada
May 24, 2008 River Rock Casino, Richmond, British Columbia, Canada
Announcements
There are no announcements as of this time
Discography
Albums
 1970 Motown |
 1971 Motown |
 1971 Motown |
 1972 Motown |
 1973 Motown |
 1973 Motown |
 1976 Motown |
 1977 Motown |
 1978 Motown |
 1979 Motown |
 1980 Motown |
 1981 Motown |
 1981 RCA |
 1982 RCA |
 1983 RCA |
 1984 RCA |
 1985 RCA |
 1987 RCA |
 1989 Motown |
 1991 Motown |
 1995 Motown |
 2006 Motown |
 2006 EMI |
Singles
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand) | Motown |
| 1970 | Ain't No Mountain High Enough | Motown |
| 1970 | Remember Me | Motown |
| 1971 | I'm Still Waiting | Motown |
| 1971 | Surrender | Motown |
| 1972 | Good Morning Heartache | Motown |
| 1973 | Touch Me in The Morning | Motown |
| 1974 | All of My Life | Motown |
| 1975 | Theme From Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To) | Motown |
| 1976 | Love Hangover | Motown |
| 1976 | One Love in My Lifetime | Motown |
| 1977 | Gettin Ready For Love | Motown |
| 1978 | Your Love is So Good For Me | Motown |
| 1976 | You Got It | Motown |
| 1979 | The Boss | Motown |
| 1979 | It's My House | Motown |
| 1980 | Upside Down | Motown |
| 1980 | I'm Coming Out | Motown |
| 1980 | My Old Piano | Motown |
| 1980 | It's My Turn | Motown |
| 1981 | Endless Love (with Lionel Richie) | Motown |
| 1981 | Why Do Fools Fall in Love | RCA |
| 1982 | Mirror, Mirror | RCA |
| 1982 | Work That Body | RCA |
| 1982 | Muscles | RCA |
| 1983 | So Close | RCA |
| 1983 | Pieces of Ice | RCA |
| 1984 | All of You (with Julio Iglesias) | RCA |
| 1984 | Swept Away | RCA |
| 1984 | Touch By Touch | RCA |
| 1984 | Missing You | RCA |
| 1985 | Telephone | RCA |
| 1985 | Chain Reaction | RCA |
| 1985 | Experience | RCA |
| 1987 | Dirty Looks | RCA |
| 1988 | If We Hold on Together | Motown |
| 1989 | Workin Overtime | Motown |
| 1991 | When You Tell Me You Love Me | Motown |
| 1991 | The Force Behind The Power | Motown |
| 1992 | One Shining Moment | Motown |
| 1993 | Your Love | Motown |
| 1999 | Not Over You Yet | Motown |
Compilations & Live Releases
 1974 Motown |
 1976 Motown |
 1977 Motown |
 1980 Motown |
 1981 Motown |
 1981 Motown |
 1982 Motown |
 1983 Motown |
 1984 Motown |
 1984 Motown |
 1986 Motown |
 1989 Motown |
 1992 Motown |
 1993 Motown |
||
 1996 |
 1997 RCA |
||
 2001 |
 2006 Motown |
 2006 Motown |
Other artists
Similar artists
Contemporaries
Influences
Trivia
- Before her first marriage, Diana had been romantically linked with both Motown labelmate Smokey Robinson and Motown chief Berry Gordy, with whom she had her first child Rhonda.
- After her first marriage, she dated actor Ryan O'Neal, and KISS bassist and singer Gene Simmons.
- Her oldest daughter, Rhonda Ross Kendrick, is a songstress and actress. Her second daughter, Tracee Ellis Ross, is an actress who received claim to fame as one of the stars of the hit sitcom Girlfriends. Diana's youngest daughter, Chudney, in the meantime, is a model.
- Diana held a concert in Central Park, the proceeds of which were to go towards a playground in her name. 15 minutes into her show, which was being filmed live for Showtime cable television, it began to rain. Diana urged the audience of 300,000 to safely exit the arena, and return the following day. The following day, over 500,000 came back for one of the largest free concerts in the history of Central Park. The second show caused a problem for Mayor Ed Koch, who objected to the expenseof the 2nd show. To settle, Diana wrote a personal check for $250,000 to recover the remaining costs. The playground was erected 3 years later.
- Diana wrote two autobiographies: Secrets Of A Sparrow: Memoirs 1993 and Goin' Back (a scrapbook collection of photos & poems).
- She was named 'The Female Entertainer of the Century' by Billboard magazine in 1976.
- She has been nominated for 12 Grammy awards, but never won.
Reviews
Diana Ross is One of the Best Artists Ever. very influential&songs that you can listen to over&over. Diana Ross is a very versatile musical artist who has had songs that make you reflect on a time period. In every album of her you get a lend of R&B,Pop,Disco and Standards& Adult comtempary. Her voice is special and she is a fine singer. --Autolady006 11:20, 24 April 2007 (PDT)
